The present disclosure relates to an electronic control unit, to a motor vehicle having an electronic control unit and to a method for cooling an electronic control unit.
Power components such as, for example, graphic processors, of electronic control units can become very hot during operation. In addition, electronic control units in a motor vehicle can to a certain extent be subjected to very high temperatures if they are arranged, for example, close to a gearbox or an internal combustion engine. In order to prevent failure of the electronic control unit owing to overheating and to lengthen a service life, the control unit can be cooled.
The cooling can be carried out, for example, passively by means of convection or assisted by means of fans. In order to output heat to the surroundings, control units must have large surfaces. Heat can be output here only to a small extent as a function of the ambient temperature. In addition, ram air which forms can further reduce the output of heat.
DE 195 17 491 A1 discloses a cooling system for a gearbox control apparatus of a motor vehicle. An electronic control device of the control apparatus is forcibly cooled by targeted feeding of a control fluid to the electronic control device or through the electronic a control device. The control fluid can be driven by feed means through a cooling plate on which the electronic control device is arranged with optimum thermal conductivity. The control fluid can be air or hydraulic oil.
DE 20 2005 009 039 U1 discloses an electronic control unit for a motor vehicle, in particular for a gearbox controller. The electronic control unit has a printed circuit board which is arranged in a housing and carries electronic components. An electronic heat protection barrier is arranged between the printed circuit board and the housing. Compressed air can be conducted in a meandering cooling coil of a cooling element of the electronic control unit.